4 Dec 2011

Google is rolling out an updated look for the “Google bar” that runs
along the top of your screen on all of the company’s various web
services.
As with most Google interface changes, this one seems to be rolling
out incrementally. If you’d like to see it for yourself right now, the
Google Operating System blog has instructions on how you can edit
your browser’s Google cookie and trigger the revamped design.
The new
Google bar dispenses with the black bar that currently runs along
the top of most Google pages and provides links to Google’s frequently
used services like Web Search, Maps, News and Gmail. If you’re logged
into Google the old bar also lists your user info on the right and
offers links to various account settings.
The links to Gmail and the rest of Google’s services have been
stripped out of the new Google bar. Instead of a list at the top of the
page they’re now buried under a drop-down menu attached to Google’s
logo, though Google’s help
page notes that on the main Google homepage “the Google bar’s
product menu may be expanded.” In other words, Google’s not entirely
confident that the new drop-down menu is a good idea. Given that the
only clue there’s a drop-down menu in the logo is a tiny arrow to the
right of the “e”, the auto-expanded menu for the homepage is probably a
good idea.
As part of the company’s effort to inject its nascent Google+ social
network into the rest of its services, Google+ gets top billing in the
new Google bar. Your general Google account info is still located on the
right, but now links up with your Google+ account and adds a Google+
share button. If you haven’t yet set up a Google+ account you’ll see the
old account info along with a new link suggesting you join Google+.
Along with the Google+ share button there’s also a new notifications
icon that lets you know whenever there’s some activity on your Google+
account. When someone adds you to a circle, posts a comment in your
stream, or shares something directly with you, the new notifications
badge will let you know.
The new Google bar looks a bit cleaner, but the drop-down menu is
definitely a step backward for anyone frequently switching between
services. It’s also curious to hear Google talking about the old Google
bar taking up “precious space” when the company just recently added an incredible
amount of whitespace and padding to nearly all of its pages.
If you’re not seeing the new interface just yet, here’s Google’s
promo video showcasing the new Google bar: